1. DVRs record based on time, so if a particular channel doesn't broadcast right on time, things can get cut off. (Generally, the Tivo's clock is pretty accurate and gets updated daily.) There is an option for recordings/season passes to add a couple of minutes before/after the recording if it happens regularly.
2. That sounds like it is a SD channel and it is being stretched to fit a widscreen. The channels could be doing this themselves (if it is supposed to be an HD channel). If it is an SD channel, try cycling through the options by pressing the Zoom button. If that doesn't work, the Tivo could be outputting to the TV in SD and the TV could be doing it itself. Look on your TV remote for a similar Aspect/Zoom button.

Hello please help with these 2 puzzles, the first of which upsets me the most?:

1. On certain channels, the shows get cut off just one or two minutes before the end. Terribly frustrating since most of these shows are court related and I miss the verdicts!!!

If you're talking about "real" court shows, then they are syndicated and your local channel is not meeting their published schedule. Your only option is to "pad"the recordings(Recording Options->Stop Recording) by a minute or two.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adela

2. The faces look shorter and the bodies fatter as if photographed from the top.

Are they SD recordings? IF so, try using the "Zoom" button on the TiVo remote to change the "Aspect Correction Mode. The default setting is one of the Tvi You should also make sure that the TiVo is set to the correct screen size ("TV Aspect Ratio") under "Video Settings", which also has the default "Aspect Correction Mode". Is your TV 16:9 or 4:3? You may need to adjust the TV's "Picture Size", which is a setting on your TV rather than the TiVo.

Hi lpwcomp and thanks very much! I'm glad you decided to post it anyway. I appreciate ALL answers as sometimes my dummy tech brain doesnít get it with one answer but will get it with the next one. lol!

No, they arenít real court shows just programs emulating them, and of course the verdicts are just as important to a viewer. I will follow your advice as socrplyrís too and hopefully will be able to fix these 2 glitches. Unfortunately I donít know whether my TV is 16:9 or 4:3 whatever these numbers are. But Iíll try to find out all about my TV data so I can understand this better. Then if I still can't do it...may I come back for more guidance?

Hi lpwcomp and thanks very much! I'm glad you decided to post it anyway. I appreciate ALL answers as sometimes my dummy tech brain doesnít get it with one answer but will get it with the next one. lol!

No, they arenít real court shows just programs emulating them, and of course the verdicts are just as important to a viewer. I will follow your advice as socrplyrís too and hopefully will be able to fix these 2 glitches. Unfortunately I donít know whether my TV is 16:9 or 4:3 whatever these numbers are. But Iíll try to find out all about my TV data so I can understand this better. Then if I still can't do it...may I come back for more guidance?

Thank you again! Adela

They aren't glitches.
The programs are scheduled to start and end at specific times. That's all the Tivo knows. What's happening is the programs do not start and end at the published times because the broadcasting company chooses to do so.

basically
if you have a flat panel HDTV it is widescreen or 16:9, that's the aspect ratio - 16 units wide by 9 units high - almost twice as wide as it is high
if you have an old tube tv with an almost square screen it would have a 4:3 aspect ratio - only slightly taller than it is wide

__________________discipuli nostrum bardissimi sunt.
- Assuming based on evidence is not the same as knowing.
- If you want to argue with me at least use some actual facts instead of making it up.

Both 16:9 and 4:3 are aspect ratios, i.e. the ratio of the width(16 or 4) vs. the height (9 or 3). Most, if not all, new TVs are 16:9. a.k.a. "widescreen". Older TVs are 4:3.
What model TiV0 do you have and how is it connected to the TV? What brand and model is your TV?

Hi, I bought the TiVO from my server, RCN, and it's TiV0 Premier. My TV is a Samsung 22" flat panel, so I suppose: 16:9. RCN came to install so not sure how it was connected (except not connected to the computer at my request), but I see the thin but large Tivo box and in the back a tiny box with lots of cables connected to it and into the wall and various other things.

(I had no such problems with the old 4:3 TV which made more pic sense. Same goes for the flat panel computer monitor which is a pain following the long lines back and forth...) "Not everything new is good and not everything old is bad". lol!

You can "pad" the shows/channels that tend to not match their timing with the actual local time.

You may need to play with your tv or tivo settings to get the right aspect ratio. I just leave my TV at 16:9 and let the tivo do its thing since all of my stations are digital anyhow.

Hi, and thank you, I'll "pad" the channel that's "short changing" me. This surprises me of the channels which I thought were very strict with timing because of their ads...If I add 1 or 2 minutes at the end of a shaw/channel, will it cut off the beginning of the consecutive show?

They aren't glitches.
The programs are scheduled to start and end at specific times. That's all the Tivo knows. What's happening is the programs do not start and end at the published times because the broadcasting company chooses to do so.
basically
if you have a flat panel HDTV it is widescreen or 16:9, that's the aspect ratio - 16 units wide by 9 units high - almost twice as wide as it is high
if you have an old tube tv with an almost square screen it would have a 4:3 aspect ratio - only slightly taller than it is wide

I understand, Tivo is programmed by the clock regardless. Iím surprised broadcasts donĎt adhere more strictly to their times. So, as so many of you, terrific people, advised, Iíll add 2 minutes at the end and will see what happens.

My flat panel is HDTV and thanks for the tech explanations. Iíll go and get busy making all those changes, especially returning the TV figures to their normal appearances.

1. DVRs record based on time, so if a particular channel doesn't broadcast right on time, things can get cut off. (Generally, the Tivo's clock is pretty accurate and gets updated daily.) There is an option for recordings/season passes to add a couple of minutes before/after the recording if it happens regularly.
2. That sounds like it is a SD channel and it is being stretched to fit a widscreen. The channels could be doing this themselves (if it is supposed to be an HD channel). If it is an SD channel, try cycling through the options by pressing the Zoom button. If that doesn't work, the Tivo could be outputting to the TV in SD and the TV could be doing it itself. Look on your TV remote for a similar Aspect/Zoom button.

Hello and thank you socrplyr! I was so sure I had answered you this message, but I donít see it here. If this is a duplicate youíll forgive?

I understand all your clear explanations for both problems and I intend to go and try them. But I havenít yet found out if the channel that cuts off the show is HD or SD. So Iíll try the Zoom button, and if not resolved, Iíll contact my server and/or the TV company.

Hi, I bought the TiVO from my server, RCN, and it's TiV0 Premier. My TV is a Samsung 22" flat panel, so I suppose: 16:9. RCN came to install so not sure how it was connected (except not connected to the computer at my request), but I see the thin but large Tivo box and in the back a tiny box with lots of cables connected to it and into the wall and various other things.

(I had no such problems with the old 4:3 TV which made more pic sense. Same goes for the flat panel computer monitor which is a pain following the long lines back and forth...) "Not everything new is good and not everything old is bad". lol!

On your TiVo, go to Settings->Video and make sure that "Aspect Correction Mode" is set to "Panel" and "TV Aspect Ratio" is set to "16:9 Wide". After that, if you are not using the HD Menus (or don't know), go to Settings->Displays-Choose TiVo Menus and see if "TiVo with HD Menus (Widescreen)" is selected. If not, see if it will allow you set select it. You can switch back if you want, I just want to know if your connection supports it. It would also be helpful if you could determine what connection your TV is using. Should be a menu item and/or remote button on to select it.

If after all that, the picture is still distorted, it is likely that you need to adjust the settings on your TV. That's why I wanted the actual model number of the TV so I could try and find an online manual and make some informed suggestions.

If you are recording from an SD channel and there is an HD version, record from it and see if it looks right.

One other thing you need to be aware of. If what is being shown is 4:3, it's supposed to have black bars on either side when viewed on a 16:9 screen.

Hi, and thank you, I'll "pad" the channel that's "short changing" me. This surprises me of the channels which I thought were very strict with timing because of their ads...If I add 1 or 2 minutes at the end of a shaw/channel, will it cut off the beginning of the consecutive show?

There are number of factors that determine what happens when there is a conflict. If there is a tuner available, then no problem. If not, then the lower priority program will either not be recorded or will be "clipped" depending on how the "Overlap Protection" is set (Settings->Recording->Overlap Protection"). I believe clipping is enabled by default.

Oh so sorry I didn't mention that my TV model is Samsung UN22F5000, a led HDTV, 1080p, 60Hz. Wanted to send you this before I finish reading your 2 messages in case this might change your instructions? And thanks so much for them. A.

Oh so sorry I didn't mention that my TV model is Samsung UN22F5000, a led HDTV, 1080p, 60Hz. Wanted to send you this before I finish reading your 2 messages in case this might change your instructions? And thanks so much for them. A.

Press the "Source" button on the remote and see what sources are highlighted and thus available.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adela

P.S. It tapes 2 shows at the same time.

Then a conflict will occur if it tries to start recording a third program, even if it is on the same channel as one of the other programs.

[QUOTE=lpwcomp;9858176]Press the "Source" button on the remote and see what sources are highlighted and thus available.
Then a conflict will occur if it tries to start recording a third program, even if it is on the same channel as one of the other programs.[/QUOTE

I pressed the TV "Source" button and it showed: "HDMI2/DVI".

I also went through all these and found them all according to your indications:

On your TiVo, go to Settings->Video and make sure that "Aspect Correction Mode" is set to "Panel" and "TV Aspect Ratio" is set to "16:9 Wide". After that, if you are not using the HD Menus (or don't know), go to Settings->Displays-Choose TiVo Menus and see if "TiVo with HD Menus (Widescreen)" is selected.

Why would it tape a third show at the same time since the Tivo I bought is supposed to tape only two?

I tried calling my servers to ask exactly what connections they made but there's a long wait. I'll do it later tonight.

I also went through all these and found them all according to your indications:

On your TiVo, go to Settings->Video and make sure that "Aspect Correction Mode" is set to "Panel" and "TV Aspect Ratio" is set to "16:9 Wide". After that, if you are not using the HD Menus (or don't know), go to Settings->Displays-Choose TiVo Menus and see if "TiVo with HD Menus (Widescreen)" is selected.

Try various picture sizes on the TV (the PSIZE button on the remote). It probably should be set to 16:9, but you might try 4:3. if the information being sent with the program is incorrect, you might need to use a weird combination of TV picture size and TiVo aspect correction to get it to be properly displayed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adela

Why would it tape a third show at the same time since the Tivo I bought is supposed to tape only two?

That's why I said "when it tries". You see, by adding padding, you are creating the possibility of a conflict where none existed before.

Try various picture sizes on the TV (the PSIZE button on the remote). It probably should be set to 16:9, but you might try 4:3. if the information being sent with the program is incorrect, you might need to use a weird combination of TV picture size and TiVo aspect correction to get it to be properly displayed.

That's why I said "when it tries". You see, by adding padding, you are creating the possibility of a conflict where none existed before.

Oh....I see why it may conflict if I pad it. I tried all 4 sizes with the PSIZE but it didn't show the numbers: 16:9 or 4:3...

I tried to find a way to know whether a channel is HD and couldn't. But I recall my server told me if I wanted to see a channel in HD, I should add in front of the channel number, the "6", i.e. for channel 17, it should be 617. I noticed in my "To do list" that it was listed as 617 but I didn't do it, so I figure the ones that don't have the prefix "6" are SD and since it converts automatically I can't add it myself. Therefore, the channel that gets cut off must be a SD channel as I didn't see it with the "6" in front... I wonder if this has anything to do with what we're trying to resolve here?

lpwcomp Just wanted to tell you that the distorted figures problem has been solved with the Zoom button. It has 2 parts: Panel and Full, the latter was the culprit. With Panel the faces became normal. Thank you and all the other wonderful people who helped!

There's only the cut off problem remaining and I believe we're getting closer?

Oh....I see why it may conflict if I pad it. I tried all 4 sizes with the PSIZE but it didn't show the numbers: 16:9 or 4:3...

That's odd. What are the 4 sizes? Hmmm. OK, if you can access the TV Picture Menu, make sure "Mode" is set to "Standard" and "Picture Options" "Size" is set to 16:9. According to the manual, you should have 16:9, Zoom1, Zoom2, Wide Fit, and 4:3 available.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adela

I tried to find a way to know whether a channel is HD and couldn't. But I recall my server told me if I wanted to see a channel in HD, I should add in front of the channel number, the "6", i.e. for channel 17, it should be 617. I noticed in my "To do list" that it was listed as 617 but I didn't do it, so I figure the ones that don't have the prefix "6" are SD and since it converts automatically I can't add it myself. Therefore, the channel that gets cut off must be a SD channel as I didn't see it with the "6" in front... I wonder if this has anything to do with what we're trying to resolve here?

Recording information should include the channel. Unless you are creating a manual recording, you don't actually enter the channel number.

While playing back a recording, hit an UP arrow on the TiVo remote. It should tell you what the Video Format (resolution) is. You might want to recheck the TiVo video settings to make sure that all of the resolutions that the TV supports are enabled.

If I were you, I would switch the HDMI cable to the other HDMI input port on the TV. HDMI2 is supposed to be for a computer.

lpwcomp Just wanted to tell you that the distorted figures problem has been solved with the Zoom button. It has 2 parts: Panel and Full, the latter was the culprit. With Panel the faces became normal. Thank you and all the other wonderful people who helped!

Posted my previous post before I saw this. Good to know, although there should be a third "Zoom" option, "Zoom". IOW, you should be able to cycle from "Panel" to "Zoom" to "Full" and back to "Panel".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adela

lThere's only the cut off problem remaining and I believe we're getting closer?

The cut off problem really has nothng to do with SD vs. HD. The only solution is padding I'm afraid. Now you know one of the reasons some of us need multiple TiVos even when there are no direct conflicts, although the 6-tuner models drastically reduce the requirement. Unfortunately, I have to make do with 3 2-tuner models (a THD and 2 Premieres).